Defeat the Empire

2005 was nice. But 2006 has to be better.

To make this team better, we have to take gambles. Omar made a couple of gambles last offseason, spending $172 million on Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran. Well, half of it worked out, anyway.

This year's gamble has to be Billy Wagner.

Yes, he's 34; yes, he's an injury risk; yes, he has a history of blowing the big games; and yes, he'll command more money than a closer should ever dream about. But the Mets have to get this guy.

He'd give us the intimidating presence we've lacked at the back of the bullpen since Armando went off in September 2001. He'll shorten games to 8 innings. He'll end the blooper experiment.

The other target is Baltimore closer BJ Ryan. Ryan is younger, and more durable, but that's where his supremacy to Wagner ends. Wagner was better in every statistic in 2005; also, Ryan has yet to pitch in a meaningful baseball game, as a member of the lowly Orioles his whole career.

In the end, I think Omar will ink Wagner to a 3-year contract worth about $10 million per season.

Let's make the '05 offseason as magical as the last. Billy's a great start.